The Future of Warfare: The Development of Drones

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The future of drones use is inevitable. They will keep improving and will continue to be used in the military. The development of drones has led to many uses in war, but has also aroused many questions concerning the morality of its use. However, saving money, resources and most importantly, the lives of soldiers are what makes the benefits of drones greater than the risks. First, drones are complex machines, used in a variety of different way for many reasons. Drones are also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and remotely piloted aerial systems (RPAS). They range in size from the five-pound Raven, which is launched by an infantryman the way a child throws a paper airplane and costs $25,000 to the Reaper, which has a wingspan of 66 feet and is equipped with Hellfire missiles and 500-pound bombs and has a price tag of $17 million (Drones n.p.). The F-35 Fighter Jet cost about 75 million dollars per plane (Chicago Tribune n.p.). Eliminating the risk of military causalities, providing real-time, around the clock footage, and being engineered to carry weapons such as rubber bullets, tear gas, bean bag guns, and tasers, to be used by security at large events are just some of the ways drones are used. (Drones n.p.). Drones can keep up with up to sixty-five people, and some are equipped with facial recognition software (Drones n.p.). Since the Civil War, the military has used drones for warfare, constantly improving them for their advantage. According to the United States Department of Defense, Union and Confederate forces launched balloons loaded with explosive devices. The idea was that the balloons would come down on a ammunition warehouse and explode (n.p.). The Japanese also tried to launch balloons. They tried to launch... ... middle of paper ... ...eld. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "Briefing: Aerial Drones as Weapons of War." Christian Science Monitor (22 May 2009). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. Linda, Robinson. "The Downside of Drones." US News. U.S.News & World Report, n.d. Web. 01 May 2014 Daniel, Byman L. "Why Drones Work: The Case for Washington's Weapon of Choice." The Brookings Institution. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. Evans, Henry. "Drones for humanity: When one man lost his ability to moue he discovered the power of drones." The Futurist Mar.-Apr. 2014: 39. Science in Context. Web. 30 Apr. 2014 Jim, Garamone. "United States Department of Defense." Defense.gov News Article: From U.S. Murphy, Dan. "Aerial Drones Serve as Weapons of War." Weapons of War. Ed. Diane Civil War to Afghanistan: A Short History of UAVs. N.p., 16 Apr. 2002. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.

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